Chapter 24 - Battle Above the World (CitC)
Thrusting forward, Tubba caught his first glimpse of the Comet Observatory. Four domes adorned the lower level, a fifth on the second floor, and a sixth at the very top of the spire. Tubba immediately locked his eyes on the fifth one as he raced through the sky toward the Observatory. It was the engine room according to Ludwig and Bowser Jr.'s description. A small room made of a sturdy gray metal, with orange platforms with star patterns sweeping the air below it. The battlers raced through the space above the Comet Observatory, swinging around the Observatory due to the immense gravity. Behind them, the Super Bowser Doomship peeled off, and rocketed off in another direction. Spinning in the air, the battlers swerved around the Engine Room. Lower and lower they went, Lumas on the ground pointing up in confusion at the six colored streaks in the sky. Tubba couldn't suppress a grin at what they must be seeing. A fat red streak, a silvery-white one, two fat dark blue and light blue streaks, and gray-white and green ones. The battlers swerved around the Observatory before closing in on an area on the leftmost side of the lower level, next to a dome with what appeared to be grass growing on it's top. Spinning in the air once again, the six battlers landed as one next to the dome, spraying dirt and grass everywhere, and sending Lumas around them in a frenzy. "Get to the engine room!" Tubba cried, the Beacon glowing behind him, pouring him with heat and light, covered by what Tubba foolishly thought was a tent top. At his words, the Lumas who were fleeing from their presence turned. Their eyes narrowed from the lovable, dilated eyes to hardened slits, glaring at the battlers. With word from a large, black Luma, they raced toward the battlers, squealing their battle cries. Clubbette got tackled by six or seven yellow and blue Lumas, Gonzales was fending off multiple green ones, Blizzerd was felled by an assortment of Lumas. Beside them, Dibby, GB and Tubba stood unattacked, instantly began attempting to help their friends. "No!" Gonzales shouted as Tubba joined him in fending off a green Luma that was racing for the scales on Gonzales' arm. "Get to the engine room! We'll be fine!" He punctuated his words with a hefty swipe of his club, knocking the leader black Luma from the air. Similar instructions were given by Blizzerd and Clubbette, so as Tubba raced past the green dome and onto the hard stone of the centre of the observatory, he was accompanied by Dibby and GB. They raced past the centre, into an area where the carpets were red and were surrounded by similarly red couches. To their right was a stone path with grass stairs leading up to a red dome, and straight ahead was a glowing pipe going up a bookshelf, along with another, purple dome. ''The bookshelf has to be the way to go. We have to go up. '' Behind them, angry Lumas were haring after them, the air alight with their angry squeals. ''This is difficult as is! And we haven't even met Rosalina... ''Leaping up the glowing pipe, Tubba heaved himself on top of the bookshelf, helping GB up as he did so. Dibby hovered up, pointing toward a metal, circular plate on the ground a few paces forward. "That's the way up!" Dibby cried, but as she did so, the Lumas tailing them covered the few feet between the ground and the bookshelf, heaving their little bodies through the air and surrounded the three battlers, who immediately went back to back. "I'll take them. You go!" Dibby offered, bracing both her ghost arms as the first few Lumas began an assault. Tubba joined her, satisfaction rippling through him as he tore a red Luma from the sky, hearing the telltale thud of it hidding the ground below the bookshelf. "We can't do that!" GB cried, "you'll die!" The Blooper was desperately fending off Lumas, his small tentacles making it difficult for him to fight as well as the others against the wave of Lumas. Blooper tentacles were very useful in one on one fights like the Glitz Pit, not when overwhelmed by a multitude of enemies. "I'm already dead!" Dibby exclaimed, her mouth cracking into a smile. At those words, Tubba leapt aside from Dibby, racing toward that small circular plate on the ground. Behind him, GB's tentacles popped off the ground as he raced behind him. As one, the two of them leapt toward the plate, landing on it with a heavy thud. Tubba expected something to go up around them and shoot them to the engine room. What he was not expecting was to be encompassed by a brilliant ball of light, and sent flying upwards in a direction neither of them knew. They tumbled head over heels in the air, seeing no signs of visible support, yet definitely going up toward the second deck. With another thud, the two of them landed on metal ground, rolling away from the circular plate. The metal plates were quite small on either side, so that if Tubba stood up, he would have to walk carefully to not fall. As it happened, the radius of landing threw Tubba forward, and GB back, toward a gaping abyss that led down to the lower level. As the Blooper began to slip attempting to regain his footing, Tubba realized what was happening. GB rolled off the edge of the metal plate, but did not fall all the way to the ground. What was stopping him falling all the way was Tubba's red, meaty hand, having grasped one of GB's many tentacles before the fellow battler could fall all the way to the lower level. Heaving the Blooper onto his back and away from danger, Tubba saw that only three steps and a left turn separated them from the engine room. Not bothering to drop the Blooper, Tubba pushed himself up to his feet and raced to the engine room, his feet clanking on the metal ground. Racing into the dome, Tubba saw that sixteen levers adorned the wall in front of them, all with the label. "EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN OF BEACON." Ignoring the nature of the room, which had many pipes lining the blue metal walls, and a grill floor that showed a heartstopping view of the lower level of the Observatory, Tubba leapt toward the levers, GB sliding off his back. Together, the two of them began to turn off the levers, and Tubba was finishing his seventh when he heard a third person enter the engine room. He leapt out of the way of a magic blast, shock lancing through him. Standing in the doorway, floating slightly above the ground, a star-tipped wand in her hand and fury in her eyes, was Rosalina. Her teal dress glittered in the light of the engine room as she floated toward them, her wand pointing at Tubba. Behind him, he heard GB pull one more lever. "Don't pull another if you want to live." Rosalina spoke, her voice dangerously soft. Tubba took a quick glance behind him. GB had pulled eight more levers, leaving only one unpulled, which GB had his tentacle on. "PULL IT, GB!" Tubba roared, racing to Rosalina, club braced, throwing caution to the wind. All he cared about was the beacon being disabled. Before he could even come within four feet of Rosalina, he felt something not unlike a noose on his head, heaving him into the air by his head. His club fell from his slack grasp as he left the ground, Rosalina's wand lifting him into the air. "One move of the wand, and I will snap your neck. Don't pull that lever if you want him to live." Rosalina threatened GB, her wand unmoved. Tubba knew by her tone that she was serious. This was a woman that was not to be messed with, especially when her blonde hair was all over her face, displaying the fury she was in. "Joke's on you, woman, I don't have one!" Tubba felt a jerk on his head as he shot a snappy remark at Rosalina. Behind him, he could hear that GB still hadn't moved the lever. "Fine. I will crack your skull." Rosalina said in a nonchalant way, keeping her wand pointed at him. "Pull that lever, he dies." Desperately thrashing against her magic, Tubba knew it was to no avail. The more he thrashed, the harder his head hurt and the more pain he was in. He hung in the air above them, GB faced with the decision that would decide his fate.